1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is covers for neckties worn by a person about their neck.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of the invention, there have been a number of different pieces of apparatus designed to either cover a person's necktie knot or to provide a mechanism within which to pass a person's tie such that a knot is avoided, yet the mechanism takes an appearance that generally is in the triangular shape of a necktie knot.
The inventor is aware of other similar decorative necktie knot protectors and other assorted devices which secure a necktie, but do not encompass a knot, such as those shown in the U.S. Pats. to Peake, U.S. Pat. No. 2,714,719; Koivisto, U.S. Pat. No. 2,316,002; Chapel, U.S. Pat. No. 2,170,707; and Bellon, U.S. Pat. No. 3,263,237. Peake provides a necktie knot protector which has a triangular shaped front face where panels attached to each of the three sides of the triangle cup around to form a volume with two openings at the top and one opening at the bottom. Peake, however, requires that the tie be threaded through the opening if the device is made from rigid metal or, if made from a pliable metal or plastic, the device then does not secure the necktie knot adequately since the flexibility sought in the plastic or metal to easily encompass the knot also provides flexibility for the protector to be inadvertently knocked off the knot. Koivisto provides a necktie knot protector similarly to Peake wherein panels attached to the sides of the triangle are also cupped around to encompass the knot and also provide the three openings, however, by the very shape of the three panels, the openings are not well defined. Consequently, Koivisto suffers from the same shortcomings as does Peake in that if the device is made from durable metal, the wearer has difficulty inserting the knot into the volume formed immediately behind the front face, or if the knot protector is made from a flexible metal or plastic, the flexibility also provides opportunity for the device to inadvertently come off.
The devices shown by Chapel and Bellon receive each end of the necktie at one or more top openings and then pass the necktie out the bottom opening without tieing a knot. In this respect, the devices function more like slip rings on the necktie.
In addition, there have been necktie knot fasteners which incorporate a mechanical mechanism of sorts, such as those shown by the patents to Hellenberg, U.S. Pat. No. 384,036 and Tsang, U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,614. Hellenberg's device utilizes a spring-biased triangular-shaped necktie fastener which has a backside adapted to fully encompass the tie (but not the knot) after it has been placed between the front and back side, the back side folding toward the front to surround the tie, the folding mechanism being spring loaded to hold the back side in place. Tsang has a rather complicated device employing a spring-biased hinge attached to the rear side of the necktie covering device with a protruding fastener type system located centrally to both the front triangular portion and the rear panel. Obviously, Tsang's device allows the necktie to pass through but not anticipate a knot being tied in the tie inasmuch as Tsang's construction does not allow or permit a knot inasmuch as the fastening mechanism would pass through the middle of the knot. In another alternate embodiment of Tsang, a ring interiorly to the volume formed by the front and back panels of the device receives each end of the necktie to align the ends.
All of the prior art known to the inventor of similar devices as illustrated above suffer from shortcomings that placement and removal of the necktie knot cover create one of two problems. First, if the cover is easy to place on the necktie knot, such as illustrated by the Koivisto device, those qualities which render it easy to place over the knot also render it easy to fall off unintentionally, thus defeating the purpose of providing a decorative cover. Secondly, if the device is well secured on the necktie, such as the device shown by Tsang, usually the device does not cover a necktie knot, but is a substitute for the knot and requires threading of the necktie through the device in a special manner which requires a great deal of time and careful attention.
It is apparent therefore that it would be useful to provide a decorative necktie knot cover which is, firstly, easy to place over a person's necktie knot and to be removed, and secondly, is well secured over the knot and not likely to be inadvertently falling off.
Accordingly, there is an obvious advantage of providing such a decorative necktie knot cover which is easy to place upon and remove from the person's necktie knot, which provides opportunity for the display of jewelry, ornamentation, club insignias and the like, and further is secured about the necktie knot against accidental dislodging until positive steps are taken to remove it, and then when it is to be removed, removal is simple.